


A matter of pride

by KoibitoDream



Series: In many forms [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Advice, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Awkward Crush, Crushes, Denial, Falling In Love, Flashbacks, Gen, Hate to Love, Humorous Ending, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Pre-Relationship, Rivals, Second years, Some Humor, Stubbornness, mentions of karasuno - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2016-10-22
Packaged: 2018-08-23 23:55:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8347810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoibitoDream/pseuds/KoibitoDream
Summary: *screams internally*I have too much work to do and too many fic projects open and so little time HELPComing up, a special 31st October work and TsukkiKage week starting November 26th.In other news, The Laws of Universal Beauty is currently on hold until I get a grip on college and the schedule, some ongoing series are likely to be finished next week or so and then I shall see what next. That's it for now!You can always talk to me on Tumblr (rain-sparks) and Instagram (KoibitoDream). Happy readings.





	1. In which Sakusa is actually a shipper, but only the wisest can tell

If there was one thing Sakusa Kiyoomi loved doing, it was looking after Kageyama Tobio. Not that anyone asked him. It just sort of happened. The boy sneezed, he was there with the first aid kit and a handkerchief. Also, hot milk and honey. Because he could.

That there was something between the setter and the middle blocker of Karasuno, everyone knew but no one dared to voice it.

They were both stubborn to boot and experts at pushing each others wrong buttons. Like, all of them. At the same time. Which is, indeed, a very rare talent.

All in all, they had so much in common.

 

_So why weren't they working?_

 

It's a mystery Sakusa decided to solve out of the sheer goodness of his heart. Meaning, Tobio needed help. The rest can flutter away, for all he cares.

The perfect opportunity came that morning they all had free, seeing how the training camp would last longer than it usually does, thanks to a few holidays falling on the right days on the calendar.

So when he sees his adorable socially awkward kouhai looking embarrassed beyond help, he decided, enough was enough.

As adorable as he was, Sakusa wasn't happy to see him looking dejected like that. He knew his thoughts and his thinking pattern and he knew the little story behind the setter and the middle blocker. Granted, that was some task he took upon himself, but hey, he was Japan's no.3 ace. He can pull this off.

“Morning, sunshine.” He says, voice flat, walking into the baths and stopping right in front of a curled into himself Tobio, sitting on the tiles, arms wrapped around his knees bent up against his chest and his head buried in the middle. With the tips of his ears practically glowing.

He sits down next to him (the bath had the wonderful scent of bleachers poured in buckets, so he'll live), practically mirroring his pose, but with his head bent to look his way.

“ _How do I stop liking someone?_ ” He hears him mutter.

Ah, yes. The question to unlocking some mysteries of the known Universe. Ask and thou shall receive, the answers that many seek yet rarely find. Too bad it still doesn't work that way.

“Why would you want that?” Sakusa asks.

And that does the trick and blue eyes peek out. Oh, the amount of emotion in them. It gets Sakusa every time.

A whole conversation goes on between them in silence until that one question in those blue eyes flies between them and Sakusa gets offended.

 

“Absolutely not.” He says and Kageyama blinks at him, eyes wide in surprise.

“But isn't-” He begins but is immediately silenced by a slim index finger raised up.

“Under no circumstances whatsoever are you going to be the one who yields first.” He says, scandalised. “Is that clear?”

Kageyama immediately nods – because he's never seen Sakusa like that.

“Good.”

 

Should he just tell him? He? Kageyama Tobio? Tell Tsukishima Kei he likes him? First? Absurd.

Not on Sakusa's watch, any ways.

 

_Though, the kid has guts, he'll give him that._

 

_Why? Because middle blocker-kun is getting on the right track. His resolve to stay silent is thinning and facade cracking and there's no way Sakusa's gonna let Tobio give him the ego boots he needs and end up being teased for life. Because Tsukishima would._

_If this were Pride and Prejudice, guess who'd be Pride._

_His name starts with Tsukishima and ends with Kei._

_So, no._

 

_If anyone should make the first step, it's middle blocker-kun._

_(And, boy, what a step did he take. Sakusa was impressed.)_


	2. Being a senpai is hard

When Tsukishima walked in the 3 rd gym, Kuroo Tetsurou honestly though he'd be easy to handle.  _He was never so wrong in his life._

Because that stubbornness of his is borderline ridiculous and tends to get even worse when he actually likes someone. How he knows that little detail?  _He's seen it with his own two eyes and still doesn't believe it._

“A word of advice?” He repeats, looking at Tsukishima, torn between turning into mush and utter horror – mush because Salt McSaltier-than-the-Dead-Sea actually admitted he liked someone, in his own way, of course, and horror because _why and how, okay, he doesn't want to know, did Sakusa Kiyoomi get involved in this of all people?_

“Here's one. Forget that pride and ask him.” He nearly dead pans, after gulping down a whole hot coffee, pretending it's something stronger. “If that Sakusa is the one giving him advice, then my condolences and better work fast because if you thought that setter of yours is a handful, wait till you meet that guy. Trust me, that guy can and will be worse than a nightmare.”

Tsukishima, of course, is  _not_ pleased to hear that.

“In case you all haven't heard, he holds that setter of yours more precious than he would a drop of water in a desert.”

_Yeah, they all_ did _notice that, it was really hard not to._

Then again, no one can really say anything because... _reasons_ .

Still, h _e didn't think Japans' number 3 ace would get in the way._

…

_...on the other hand, he might have should have taken that into account because logic._

 

Because Sakusa practically tweets around him whereas Tsukishima can't help but bite and he really hates the way Kageyama started not to bite back but... _look...hurt._

_When he thinks no one is looking._

Also, there is really no need to- he should really- _ugh, this is hard_ .

_Kageyama doesn't look hurt when they go at each other's neck, he fights back until someone bleeds – mentally. He was ruthless, cold-blooded and...very sweet and understanding. He never asked for more than you could actually deliver. Being lazy doesn't count._

“Look, Tsukishima, you like him, don't you?” Kuroo asks and instantly regrets it when he feels the burn of that look and hopes his hair is still on his head. “I'm not telling you you do, calm down. But, seriously, have you really never considered the possibility that he might like you back?”

_Hardly._

_Once upon a time, Tsukishima made it his business to know how to get through to him, something not even Miya nor Oikawa managed._

Yamaguchi warned him it might come back and bite him in the ass.

“ _Why don't you give him a chance? He's really only trying to help.”_

_Thanks a lot, Yamaguchi._

 

It didn't bite him in the ass, it fucking stabbed him in the heart.

 

There were too many things he needed to think about and so far, didn't like one outcome of it. He didn't want to think about Kageyama in _any_ way, let alone _that_ one. It gave him weird tingles just to entertain that thought.

_Ah, stage one – denial._

_Kuroo really wished he stayed at home._

 

_(So maybe somewhere along the lines Tsukishima did move on from that.)_

_(Just not the way he intended.)_

 

_Never, in his life, did Tsukishima think having a day off volleyball practice on a training camp would be what he needed in life more than air to breathe._

What the hell did he just do?

He didn't really wake up to see him lying next to him, a spectacular shade of red on his face and the look, oh my god,  _the look_ in his eyes, sweet mercy, did he?

Of course he did.

All the nerves set aflame in his skin where there was contact counted witness to that  _and there were many._

Oh, sweet lord, why?

This was  _not_ happening.

Was he to explain this or just ignore it and pretend it never happened?  _He couldn't do either_ . Not at this point. He didn't want to deal with this, but he didn't want to make things between them worse, which, incidentally, he would, by not explaining this which he, also incidentally, couldn't. Talk about an impossible loop.

Okay, so,  _hypothetically_ , let's say he  _did_ choose to explain this.  _But how in the world_ does _one explain this??_

Nah, forget it, no explaining.

Because, let's face it, _uh, yeah, about this morning, I kinda like you even though I constantly make it my business to annoy you but dragging you into bed with me was totally a maybe not so accidental accident-_ NO.

Just, NO.

No way in hell. NO.

_NO._

 

“Good morning, Tsukki!” Yamaguchi all but beams and Tsukishima's really _not_ in the mood to think about how _good_ his morning actually is. Or how _bad_ , for that matter.

It's nine in the morning and still no sign of Kageyama.

 _Anywhere_.

_There's also no trace of Sakusa, either._

And that's a whole new level of _bad._

“Well good morning, ace.” One of Sakusa's team mates says as _speak of the devil and he arrives_ walks in and sits at the breakfast table, not too removed from where Yamaguchi and Tsukishima were seated. “Had a good run with Kageyama this morning?”

_Here it comes. Hello darkness, my old friend._

“Not really.” Sakusa says, taking his own food from his bag because botulinum or whatever. “He wasn't feeling well this morning.”

“Oh? What gives?”

“Light fever.”

_Tsukishima doesn't even blink, but he's pretty sure that one was directed at him._

“He okay?”

“Yeah, he's going to be fine. I'll make sure of it.”

_Of course he will._

But wait. Why is his Highness's most loyal watchdog not setting him on fire and burning him alive? Did Kageyama not say a word to him about this morning? Did he up and chose to ignore that?

_Why the hell is he disappointed by that thought?_

“So you up to train with your team for a change?” Someone asks, all hopeful, but not really.

“You Kageyama Tobio?”

“No.”

“Then I'm going back to bed.”

_Ha. Now that's funny._

 

_Still having to deal with some things was not._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *screams internally*
> 
> I have too much work to do and too many fic projects open and so little time HELP
> 
> Coming up, a special 31st October work and TsukkiKage week starting November 26th.
> 
> In other news, The Laws of Universal Beauty is currently on hold until I get a grip on college and the schedule, some ongoing series are likely to be finished next week or so and then I shall see what next. That's it for now!
> 
> You can always talk to me on Tumblr (rain-sparks) and Instagram (KoibitoDream). Happy readings.


End file.
